Great start! I like that you have included a plastic bag to help shelter against harsh weather! If you want to always have a survival kit with you inside your pocket be sure and include a quality knife and cordage. Also, you are going to want a waterproof back up to your fire making. :)

I recently uploaded my own survival tin if you'd like to see how I've implemented those into my kit. :)

Okay i'm just going to get this out there,*clears throat*<br/>in nice caring tone*This is to all the altoid tin survival kits, you can't put a respectable survival kit into just an altoids tin. Truthfully no survival kit is respectable. The best survival kit is the one you never have to use. Basically along with the survival kit instructables people should put in a guide on how to use their survival kit and just how to live off of little. People should also include links to whole web sites dedicated to survival, my personal favorite is: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Survival.htm">http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Survival.htm</a> It is a very good site and has taught me much<br/>

*chuckle* i don't think so. Almost all of the stuff that happens to him is 100% percent luck. Like the turtle eggs or the large blocks of flint right next to his shelter. Or the fact that the berries he ate DIDN'T kill him. And in Brian's winter, The fact that the Flint broke off into perfect arrow head shapes is NEVER going to happpen. But they are an enjoyable read.

Not really, while food should be a top priority, most people can survive up to THREE WEEKS without eating. Now if anyone knows the magic 3s, it's 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. Air seems to be in pretty good supply, hmm, how 'bout water? Put some purification tablets and a 1 quart zip-loc in that Altoids tin. I remember when I was on an FTX with the Civil Air Patrol, out in the middle of nowhere (desert), I consumed 2.5 gallons per day. A handy little rule that Lt. Col. Meuhlheisen taught me is 'You lose 1 quart through perspiration, 1 quart through the moisture in your mouth being evaporated(breathe through your nose), and 1 1/2 quart through unination. While we're on the subject, it's best to super-saturate yourself before you go into the field, then keep hydrating normally. Now, besides a 1qt Zip-loca nd IODINE purification tablets, there's a few other very important things. I know the goal here is to stuff it all into an altoids tin, but if you want to survive more than 12 hours with that, forget it. Add on some Clif bars (That's your food, it'll keep you alive just fine, just remember that the body has to waste water to digest food.), a poncho, a flint and utility knife, a compass and map, flares, gloves, and a Camelbak to stow everything and keep you hydrated.. That's about as simple as I can put it. There's plenty more things that would be very handy, but you've gotta keep you've gotta keep your loadout as light as possible. If you carry more than 10% of your body weight, you'll lose 25% efficiency. Bad deal. Also, add some gear appropriate to climate. Hand warmers in the cold, cold morning are very nice.

I was taught three hours without shelter was the first '3' but the air one sounds important too. So four '3s' ?? (air shelter water food) The fishhooks in some kits have always sounded unimportant because I thought you consume more calories fishing than fish can give you back. I know the shelter one depends on the environment, my (very simple) training was for mountain hiking in the northeast.

Honestly, I never really considered shelter. That's a rather tricky one... Depending on the environment, though, it could be rather vital. Also, the fishhooks to depend largely on where you are... I for one am in the desert. I'll have to think about proving shelter on next-to-nothing for a little while, and comment back later.

lol, I realize that water is a much higher priority than food. And air's pretty easy to come by, for most (if you can't find it in the woods, then I guess you deserve what you get). I was simply explaining what the hooks were for. And all of these figures in the three 3's are dependant on one important factor... low strain. If you limit your energy use, then yes, you Could possibly survive 3 weeks without food. But if you're busy looking for water and building shelter, it might be much less. In most cases, you should stay put and await rescue, but in the case that no one has a reason to think they need to find you, sitting on your arse could be suicide. You are right about prioity though. And the flint and steel bit, that can be a pain if you don't know how to do it. (When I was ten it was easier to use the string and stick method, because nobody had showed me how to maintain the spark.)

Hmm, come to think of it, I would like to add on a few things. Now, people vary greatly in how long they can survive without food. It depends on your total fat reserves, metabolism, and a plethora of other factors... I use three weeks without food under high strain. That's until absolute death. Mohatma Ghandi pulled 40 days while on a hunger strike once, but under next-to-no strain. I've talked to people who have done three weeks in active combat. Either way, carry small things loaded with calories. Also, it's best to stay put regardless. In the case that someone knows your missing (they probably will, unless you're a complete hermit) , it's MUCH harder for our Civil Air Patrol ground pounders and airdales to find and track you on the move. If we're trying to get a moving target, it's next to impossible. Another handy item is a personal ELT, transmitting on 406mHz. The COSPAS-SARSAT satellite network can locate you to within a mile on 406, and the 406 ELTs transmit a small signal on 121.5, allowing our ground teams and aircrews to find you quickly and precisely by homing in on 121.5.

Remember: in a survival situation, this may seem odd, but the priorities go: Fire Shelter Water Food So, your priorities in a survival kit should follow sue. Knife / multi-tool, Lighter and tinder, string (enough for at least 4 lashings), purification tablets (or iodine), then fish hooks and other hunting implements. The smallest, most effective methods are optimal for survival Try to polish the tin's lid to use as a signal mirror, and if you punch in part of the top, you can make a whistle (if done correctly) Pack minimal smell-ables (food, deodorant, toothpaste, etc.). If you really want to, make a simple bear bag using a ziploc, a rock, and string. First-aid equipment is unnecessary due to a multitude of indigenous alternatives in every environment. try to combine uses, but don't compromise.

i'm just going to make one suggestion to your list, addressing injuries should be your first priority. It's a little hard to to make a broken shelter with a broken leg or if there's a foot long gash in your arm.

I agree,but for the sake of space, a seperate first aid kit should be carried. Also, barring the desert or the ocean, there should be a sufficietnt ammount of supplies already there to address any injuries.

I recommend instead of matches, a Bic 'travel lighter' (for smokers on the go!) that is the equivalent of matches. If you pack a few matches, this lighter is best. If you need more, use a standard lighter.

Wow, I just had a great time reading all of these comments from top to bottem and if anyone is arguing about funwithfires instructable make your own stupid survival kit cause his is better then nothing! Nice job funwithfire